Search-light lamp.



H. N. v.F0WLER.

SEARCH LIGHT LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1916. hm?. Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

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H. N.A FWLER.

SEARCH LIGHT LAMP.

' AfPucATloN FILED MAR.2.1916.

Patented Feb. 26, `1918.

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HARRY N. FOWLEB), OJE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MABEL C. FOWLER,OFv CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEARCH-LIGHT LAMP.

Patented Feb. 20, IQII.,

Application led March 2,1916. Serial No. 81.596.

To all w/Lom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY N. FowLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Search-Light Lamps, ofwhich the following is a speclfication.

My invention relates to dirigible lamps of the type usually equippedwith a reflector and known as searchlights, and is particularly welladapted for use upon the wind shields of automobiles, although it isequally suited for use upon vehicles of any other kind, or on motorboats, and for use in any situation where it is desirable to readilymanipulate and adjust the lamp structure to' throw the rays of light inany desired direction. The object of my invention is generally toproduce an easily manipulated, well-balanced, eflicient and sightly lampof this type, to which end I have devised a novel arrangement of hollowjointed tubing members lforming a universally adjustable supportingbracket, the joints of which are frictionally held under yielding butfirm spring pressure, whereby the lamp may be swung to any desiredposition and will be retained in adjusted position. Within this hollowadjustable bracket or lamp mounting, I arrange the electric conductorfor the light,or gas tubing, if the lamp be a gas lamp,-the wire, ortubing, as the case may be, in this manner being concealed and out ofthe way, and bein@ protected from the elements and chafingwthuspreventing shortcircuiting or breakage.

A further feature of my invention consists in the provision of a mirrormounted upon the back of the lamp structure and which may of course beswung with the lamp upon the adjustable mounting to give a view ofobjects in a rearward direction from the observer at any desired angle.

With the foregoing object and advantages in view my invention consistsin the novel combination, construction and arrangement of parts recitedin the appended claims, in which different features of my invention aredefined.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 shows a top view of a preferred form of myimproved lamp and the adjustable mounting by which it is attached to theside member of a Windtion of the bracket joints;l Fig. 4 is a centralsection through theoperating knob at the rear of the lalnp showing thearrangement and construction of the switch for the electr1c lamp; Fig. 5shows my invention applied to a gas lamp; Fig. 6 is a rear view of asimplified form of lamp and mounting, partly in section; Figs. 7 and 8are detail views showing the construction of the electric switch housedin the operating knob; Fig. 9 a top View of the clamp shown in Fig. 6;and Fig. l0, a fragmentary view showing a different manner of assemblingcertain parts illustrated in Fig.' 3.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts on all the figuresof the drawing.

In the particular and preferred embodiment of my invention which willfirst be describedl and which is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, thelamp is an electric lamp adapted to be secured to one of the sidemembers l of the windshield of an automobile, to which end it isprovided with clamp members 2 and 3, clamped together by a pair of bolts4.-4. Rigidly clamped toa rearwardly projecting lug 3 of the clampmember 3 by meansof a bolt 5 is an lL-shapedbracket piece 6, thehorizontal portion of which is bored to form a box for the reception ofa vertical rotatable tube 7, which tube and box members togetherconstitute a pivot bearing forming part of the adjustable lamp supportand electric wire conduit. A nut 8, forming a lower abutment, is screwedfirmly on the lower end of this tube, and the upper end is screwed orotherwise firmly secured to the quarter-turn couplin 9, the base ofwhich forms an upper a utment. Between such upper abutment and the topof the bracket piece 6 isinterposed a strong helical compression spring10 coiled around the tube 7 and inclosed within telescoping casingshells 11 and 12, washers 13 being provided on the opposite sides of thebracket piece and between the base of the coupling and the upper shell11 to receive and distribute the thrust of the spring. If desired,however, the

' in the box member of the bearing.

To one side of the casing 14 of the lamp, near its front edge, isriveted or otherwise secured a castin 15 which is formed with a hub 16revolu ly mounted upon a horizontally disposed short tube 17constituting one member of a horizontal pivot bearing. One end of thistube is screwed into the upper end of the quarter-turn' coupling 9,*theother end having firmly screwed upon it a nut 18. Interposed between theouter end of the hub 16 and the end of the coupling are a spring 19,telescoping casing shells 20 and 21, and washers 22 22 at opposite sidesof the shells, and between the inner end of the hub 16 and the -nut 18is placed a washer 23; the whole forming a spring-tensioned frictionjoint similar to that already described. l

The lamp casing may be 'of the usual form illustrated, or any othersuitable design having a reflector arranged within the casing, and inthe present instance such casing is closed at vthe front with a glazeddoor and provided with a reflector 24 serving to concentrate the rays.of light into a beam. The insulated conductors 25 carrying current forthe electric light 26 are led in through the conduit formed by thetubesl 7 and 17 and coupling 9 into the space between the casing 14 andreflector 24, where they are secured tothe terminals of an elec- -tricswitch whereby the current may be directed through the light 25,- or cutoff'. The switch, in the present instance, and preferably, is located ina manipulating knob or handle 27, projecting from the rear end of thelamp casing, and is of the pushbutton type. The details of the switchform no part of the present invention, but may suitably be of theconstruction illustrated, in which the push-button 28 is held in itsopposite positions by the spring 29, the current being off in the outerposition, and in which, when the push-button is in inner position, thespring contacts 30 connected with the conductors 25 will make contactwith the terminals of the lamp.

The conductors 25, for a purpose which will hereinafter be explained,are equipped at a convenient distance below the clamp mounting with theplug member 43 of a plug and socket connection, the socket member, whichis in connection with the source of electric current, being secured tothe dash board of the automobile,-assuming that the lamp is to be usedupon such a vehicle.

Upon the top of the casing 14 is fixed, by means of the bracket 31 orother suitable means, an upright mirror 32, facing rearwardly. By meansof the knob 27 the driver of the car can swing the lamp structure uponthe tube 7 as an axis, and also tilt it upon the tube 17, thus turningthe mirror into position to reflect any object to the rear or 1n arearward direction, or can' direct abeam of light in any desireddirection, turning the light on or olf with the greatest facility whiledoing so.

It is obvious that my improved lamp fixture may be as readily applied tothe left hand frame member of a windshield as the right, since if thebracket piece 6 be clamped tight half around from the position shown,and the lamp casing and parts carried by it be also swung half around,the lamp may be mounted at the left hand side of the windshield with thesame relative position of the parts as on the right hand side.

While I have illustrated and described as the preferred form of myinvention an electric searchlight in which the electric lamp is suppliedwith current through an insulated conductor, it is obvious that it mayreadily be applied to gas or petrol lamps in which the illuminant isconducted to the Y burner through a flexible'tube, as illustrated inFig. 5. In this modified form of my invention the flexible tube 33 is aconduit 100 through which the gaseous illuminant is conducted to theburner 34, the tube being arranged within the hollow universal bracketin the same manner as that heretofore described.

While the tubular construction of the lamp bracket finds its highestutility in con* nection with a searchlight having an outer casing and areflector arranged within such casing, and in which the conductors forthe lamp are led through the bracket members and the space between thelamp casing and the reflector, it is obvious that this form of universalmounting may be usefully employed with a single-piece searchlight inwhich the interior of the casing is formed and finished to constitute areflector. In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrated such a form ofsearchlight mounted upon a somewhat simplified form of mountingincluding a pair of clamping members 35 and 35 adapted to be clampedupon one of the vertical members of the windshield of an automobile. Abracket piece 36 is detachably secured by a horizontal cap screw or bolt36l 125 to the clamp member 35, said bracket piece being formed with avertical bore or socket to receive the depending portion of an L- shapedtubular structure comprising the vertical tube section 37, theL-coupling 38 and 130 maaar the horizontal tube section 39. A strong itsends with l just above described. The

, of electric current. rlhe place around or near helical spring 40confined between the lug 36a alnd coupling 38 by a nut on the lowerendof the tube section 37 provides a yielding frictional pivot bearingof said section in the lug, and a similar spring 41 between the otherend of` the coupling and a hub or socket 42 secured to the casing of thelamp aords a similar horizontal pivot bearing for the lamp. rllhe lastmentioned spring is confined by a nut on the tube section 39 inside thesocket 42, which nut bears against an internal annular shoulder withinsaid socket. j

The electric cable for supplying current tothe lamp is in this form oflamp led into the casing by a rotatable vmember 44 which is at once aswitch and a connecting plug. A similar or suitable plug 44a at theother end of the cable is provided to form a separable connection with aconvenient fixed socket and connect the cable with the source plug 44 isequipped with a pair of radial pins 45, adapted, when the plug isinserted axially into a tubular bushing member 46 secured centrallywithin the knob 47 and forming the socket-member of the connection, topass through longitudinal slots 48, or openings into connectingtransverse slots 49. Spring pressed plungers 50. in connection with thelamp terminals bear against the inner end of the plug and in one oftions at the ends of the slot 49 bear against the plug contacts andcomplete the circuit through'the lamp, and in the other extreme positionare insulated and break the connecti-on. rlihe ends of the slot 49 areformed with slight outward notches so that the pressure of the plungers50 will yieldingly maintain theplug in either one of the o or onpositions to which it may be turned. The lamp and mounting, as beforeexplainedg are made so as to be readily detached from the supportingbracket, so that by the use ol an extension cor'd equipped at plug andsocket connecting members adapted to coperate with the plug 44a and thefixed supply socket, the detached lamp may be carried to any pointpermitted by the length of the cord to give light in places otherwiseinaccessible.

'llhe plug Aand socket connections alorded by the plug member 43, beforementioned in describing the preferred form of lamp, illustrated in Figs.l, 2, 3, and 4, and the readily detachable connectionformed by the boltor set screw 5, are likewise provided for the purpose of enabling anextension cord equipped with corresponding plug and socket members to beused in the manner portability thus allorded enables the vlamp to beused any the machine, to discover the cause of troubles which may occur,

the two yopposite posivbase of the horizontal thus considerablyincreasing the usefulness vll claim:

l. Inca device of the character described including a pivot bearingcomprising a pivot member and abox member arranged to support a lampcasing, means for yieldingly and frictionally restraining relativerotation of vthe bearing members comprising abutments lixed to the pivotmember of the bearing on opposite sides of the box member, a spiralcompression spring surrounding the pivot member and interposed betweenthe box member' and one abutment, and a telescoping shell member inclosing said spring and forming a casing therefor.

2. lin a device of the character described including a pivot bearingcomprising a tumember and a box member arthe box member, a spiralcompression spring surrounding said pivot member and interposed betweenthe box member and one abutment, and conductors for said light disposedwithin said tubular pivot member;

8. A device of the character described comprisingpa vertical tubularbearing member rotatable in a iixed support and equipped with anabutment at its turn coupling secured to the top of said verticaltubular member, a horizontal tubular bearing member secured atone end tosaid coupling and at its other end equipped with an abutment, a lampcasing pivotally mounted on said horizontal member, spring-tension meanscoperating with the base of the vertical portion of the coupling Jandthe abutment at the bottom of the vertical tubular memberforfrictionally restraining rotationof such member in its support, 'andspring-tension means coperating with the portion of the coupling andtheabutment at said other end of the horizontal tubular member forfrictionally restraining rotation of the lamp casing mounted thereon.

4. A device of the characterA described bottom, a quartersecured to andforming a continuation of said iirst mentioned pivot member, a lampcasing equipped with means whereby it ma be manually directed and withalight and mounted to rotate on said horizontal pivot pression spring ofa plurality of turns surrounding said pivot member-'and arranged' toyieldingly restrain movement of the lamp casing on said horizontal pivotmember.

5. A device of the character described comprising a laterally extendingsupporting bracket, a vertical cylindrical pivot member rotatablymounted insaid bracket, and having abutments at its top and bottom, arelatively long spiral compression spring of a plurality ofturnssurrounding said pivot member and compressed between said supportingbracket and one abutment, a

horizontal cylindrical pivot member secured to and forming acontinuation of said first mentioned pivot member, said horizontalmember having abutments near its opposite ends, a lamp'casing equippedwith means whereby it may be manually directed and With a light andmounted to rotate on said horizontal pivot member, and a relatively longspiral compression spring of a plurality of turns surrounding said pivotmember and compressed between the outer abutment and said lamp.

` HARRY N. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

Louis B. ERWIN, ROBERT DOBBERMAN.

